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Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Feeling: this is the first week in my pregnancy that I've felt very pregnant and uncomfortable. I went for a walk on Thursday during lunch, and my belly was sore for the next couple of days. I think it was a bit of a growth spurt combined with Braxton Hicks starting (my belly started getting super tight). Heartburn is still here, but I got a prescription last week for stronger medicine then Tums, but I need to fill it still.

Workouts: definitely slacking big time lately! Though I did find some new ones from a blogger called Nourish Move Love. She has a some great at home strength and barre workouts.

Other:

had my next appointment at the maternity clinic last week, and all was good. Baby was head down and hopefully stays that way! I passed my glucose test which is good. I'm going every two weeks now (how did that happen already?!)

received the sweetest package for baby boy and Amelia in the mail from Gabriella- thank you again friend!

Monday, March 27, 2017

Happy Monday everyone! I'm not too mad about it being Monday considering I'm off this week. Ask me again how I feel next Monday when I'm back at work ;)

{friday} Brian had left earlier in the day for his trip, so I left work a bit early so I could walk Harley to pick up Amelia. It was a nice day out, so she was more than happy to be going for a walk. My mom was flying in around 9pm, so one of Brian's co-workers who lives close by, came over to hang out while I picked up my mom. I was dead tired that night, so when we got home from the airport, I went straight to bed. Such a nice daughter ;)

{saturday} I didn't sleep well for some reason that night, so I was super tired in the morning which meant we had a slow day. Lots of playing with grandma, going for walks and hanging around the house. It was a beautiful day out, so we played in the backyard and raked up some leaves the previous owners never cleaned up.

{sunday} we started the day off with pancakes (even though they weren't as good as the ones Brian normally makes) before heading to Wal-Mart. Amelia somehow got chalk, bubbles, a new baby and a ball out of that trip ;) Of course as soon as we got home, the chalk and bubbles were broken out.

When Amelia had her nap (3 hours!), I took Harley for a walk and laid in bed reading. The rest of the day was spent making a delicious dinner (made the crock pot whole chicken I've seen others post about) and going for another walk.

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

When I was pregnant with Amelia, I found a company called Pinkblush that had fantastic maternity clothing. Not only do they have maternity clothes (that also work for post pregnancy), but they also have a normal line of clothes. Can't go wrong with that! A couple weeks ago I was offered the chance to pick an item of my choice, and I had such a hard time choosing! Ask Alison as I even emailed her to help me :)

I finally narrowed it down and choose this navy floral chiffon dress. I knew that it would work for our current weather (with tights and boots) and into the spring with some sandals. I've worn it into the office already and got so many compliments on it!

What I love most about the dress is that I feel pretty in it and not just a frumpy pregnant lady :) Plus I know that I can easily wear this after baby boy is born and still look put together.

If I had to choose more items to order from Pinkblush, I would definitely choose this short sleeve fitted dress in magenta, this navy scoop fitted dress, or this floral dress. Now, the best part- Pinkblush is offering one of my lucky readers a $75 gift card to choose something for yourself! Please note that if you have won a giveaway from Pinkblush in the last six months, you unfortunately are unable to win this one. Enter below!

Monday, March 20, 2017

I'm sad the weekend is over, but only five more days of work and then I'm off for a week!

{friday} for the life of me, I can't remember what we did. Obviously nothing exciting!

{saturday} it was a beautiful morning out, so we took Harley and Amelia for a long walk. When we got back home, Amelia didn't want to go inside so we did multiple laps around our cul de sac on her trike. The rest of the morning was spent cleaning and doing some laundry. Amelia finally went down for her nap, so I had one too before Brian's friend and his girlfriend came to our house. They were in town visiting and were staying with us for the night.

In the late afternoon, Alison and family came over and we ordered some pizza for dinner. It was a super casual meal, but still lots of fun as the kids played so well! Amelia and Ryder even shared a hug or two! :)

{sunday} Brian's friends left in the morning, and Amelia was asking to go for a walk, so we headed out with Harley. Brian stayed behind to change the oil in the car. We somehow managed to find lots of rocks on our walk, so when we got home, Amelia got to work on painting them and herself ;)

She ended up having a monster nap (3.5 hours!) so of course I had one too and then laid in bed reading. The rest of the day was spent making dinner, and getting ready for the week ahead.

Friday, March 17, 2017

This has been a doozy of a week! So glad it's Friday and the weekend.{one} it all started last weekend when we drove up to Edmonton. We were in Edmonton for a couple of hours before Amelia puked all over me, the bed, bathroom at my in-laws house. We got everything cleaned up and she was so unhappy and kept going to the door. We decided to skip my nieces my birthday party and head straight back home. She puked one more time that night at home, and luckily not again. She was miserable on Sunday, and was up for half of the night, so I stayed home with her on Monday. She was better on Tuesday so she went to the day home and has gotten better over the week. The only issue now is that she hasn't pooped since last Thursday! We think it's uncomfortable for her as she's been up throughout the night rolling around and not able to get comfortable. Poor girl :( We saw the doctor yesterday, so fingers crossed for a poop soon!{two} since she's been up so much lately, I've been laying with her in the spare bed (which will become hers once we move her out of her room). She's actually been sleeping really good in it. We need to get some rails so she doesn't fall out and I need to find a bed frame. Right now, we just have a cheap metal one. I'm looking at this one or this one. What do you have for your kids? The bed is a double bed, and we just don't see the point in buying a twin for her when we already have a good bed that she can use, and that we would have to upgrade the twin at some point anyways. Anyone want to pick out bedding and a paint colour for me? :){three} even though she wasn't been feeling great at the beginning of the week, Amelia never fails to make me laugh. Yesterday when we were waiting for the doctor, she decided to do some downward dogs in the room. Better than crying her head off like she normally does though ;) She also said thank you to the doctor as they were walking out of the room. Oh man, I love her. Our day home lady taught them monster sounds the other day, and it's so cute. You just ask her what a monster says, and she'll stick her hands up like claws and make the sound.

The other morning, we were getting ready to leave the house so she was sitting on the bottom step of our stairs so I could put her boots on. I noticed all of the Harley hair on the floor and said "oh man, look at all that hair Amelia". She then looks at me, then rubs her hair and then rubs mine and says pretty hair. It was so cute!{four} my energy is severely lacking this week. I told myself I would workout last night, but instead I fell asleep on the couch after Amelia went to bed. At least I had taken Harley for a walk before dinner, so I did something. Almost makes me wish that I drank coffee!{five} my mom comes in a week today! She's staying for a week and looking forward to it. I also booked Amelia and I to go back to Ontario in April. Time was getting short before I couldn't fly, and I knew I wanted to go back home once before this baby is born. I can't quite imagine flying with two kids alone yet.Have a great weekend!

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Feeling: still pretty good overall. Minus heart burn that is still sticking around. Starting to get the linea nigra again, but it's still pretty faint. Belly button is threatening to never go back in, but not fully out. Workouts: the last couple of weeks haven't been super great workout wise, but still walking Harley and doing at home workouts.

Twenty seven weeks

Other:

went for my glucose screening test last week and baby barely moved at all during it. When I did it with Amelia, she moved and kicked like crazy. I'll find out the results next week at my next appointment

still not coming up with very many names. We have a super short list, but no names that either of us absolutely love or are set on. Can we just call him baby? ;)

Friday, March 10, 2017

{one} in my post the other day about our barre experience, I totally forgot to mention that if you are wanting to try it out, you can use the code LOVE10 for $10 off either the 10 card pass or 1 month new client intro. I wish I lived closer so I could take advantage!

{two} has anyone started watching Big Little Lies? I just watched the first episode last night, but totally forget what all happens in the book.

{three} speaking of books, I posted some of my recent reads yesterday. I have a couple more books on hold at the library, but I need some more suggestions. What have you been reading lately?

{four} I have the day off today and have zero plans. Well, I do need to wash the floors and pick up a birthday gift for our niece. Otherwise, I plan on taking a nap and hanging out :)

Don’t help me unless I ask. Otherwise you're just getting in my way or bothering me.

Don’t be weird. Seriously, other than having my eyes closed all the time, I’m just like you only smarter.

Parker Grant doesn’t need 20/20 vision to see right through you. That’s why she created the Rules: Don’t treat her any differently just because she’s blind, and never take advantage. There will be no second chances. Just ask Scott Kilpatrick, the boy who broke her heart.

When Scott suddenly reappears in her life after being gone for years, Parker knows there’s only one way to react—shun him so hard it hurts. She has enough on her mind already, like trying out for the track team (that’s right, her eyes don’t work but her legs still do), doling out tough-love advice to her painfully naive classmates, and giving herself gold stars for every day she hasn’t cried since her dad’s death three months ago. But avoiding her past quickly proves impossible, and the more Parker learns about what really happened—both with Scott, and her dad—the more she starts to question if things are always as they seem. Maybe, just maybe, some Rules are meant to be broken.

Combining a fiercely engaging voice with true heart, debut author Eric Lindstrom’s Not If I See You First illuminates those blind spots that we all have in life, whether visually impaired or not.My rating: 3/5Thoughts: It was a cute, young adult book about Parker who recently lost her father and became blind after a car accident. It was a cute and easy read, but I know some of the other reviewers thought she was selfish and stuck up.

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn GreenwoodAs the daughter of a meth dealer, Wavy knows not to trust people, not even her own parents. Struggling to raise her little brother, eight-year-old Wavy is the only responsible "adult" around. She finds peace in the starry Midwestern night sky above the fields behind her house. One night everything changes when she witnesses one of her father's thugs, Kellen, a tattooed ex-con with a heart of gold, wreck his motorcycle. What follows is a powerful and shocking love story between two unlikely people that asks tough questions, reminding us of all the ugly and wonderful things that life has to offer.My rating: 5/5Thoughts: To be honest, I don't know how to put my feelings into words about this book. There are some things that made me feel icky (can't say or else it will give the book away), but I also really enjoyed it. I tried to describe my thoughts and feelings to a co-worker and ended up just saying read it!

Things You Won't Say by Sarah PekkanenIn this timely and provocative novel, internationally bestselling author Sarah Pekkanen takes us inside a family in crisis and a marriage on the brink after a tragic shooting.

How far would you go to save your family?

Every morning, as her husband Mike straps on his SIG Sauer and pulls on his heavy Magnum boots, Jamie Anderson tenses up. Then comes the call she has always dreaded: There's been a shooting at police headquarters. Mike isn't hurt, but his long-time partner is grievously injured. As weeks pass and her husband's insomnia and disconnectedness mount, Jamie realizes he is an invisible casualty of the attack. Then the phone rings again. Another shooting but this time Mike has pulled the trigger.

But the shooting does more than just alter Jamie's world. It's about to change everything for two other women. Christie Simmons, Mike's flamboyant ex, sees the tragedy as an opportunity for a second chance with Mike. And Jamie's younger sister, Lou, must face her own losses to help the big sister who raised her. As the press descends and public cries of police brutality swell, Jamie tries desperately to hold together her family, no matter what it takes.

In her characteristic exploration of true-to-life relationships, Sarah Pekkanen has written a complex, compelling, and openhearted novel her best yet.My rating: 3/5Thoughts: this book could have taken any recent headline from the news lately. It was an okay book, but not my favourite. The author was similar to a Jodi Picoult book, but not quite there.

Before I Go by Colleen OakleyA heart-wrenching debut novel in the bestselling tradition of P.S. I Love You about a young woman with breast cancer who undertakes a mission to find a new wife for her husband before she passes away.

Twenty-seven-year-old Daisy already beat breast cancer three years ago. How can this be happening to her again?

On the eve of what was supposed to be a triumphant “Cancerversary” with her husband Jack to celebrate three years of being cancer-free, Daisy suffers a devastating blow: her doctor tells her that the cancer is back, but this time it’s an aggressive stage four diagnosis. She may have as few as four months left to live. Death is a frightening prospect—but not because she’s afraid for herself. She’s terrified of what will happen to her brilliant but otherwise charmingly helpless husband when she’s no longer there to take care of him. It’s this fear that keeps her up at night, until she stumbles on the solution: she has to find him another wife.

With a singular determination, Daisy scouts local parks and coffee shops and online dating sites looking for Jack’s perfect match. But the further she gets on her quest, the more she questions the sanity of her plan. As the thought of her husband with another woman becomes all too real, Daisy’s forced to decide what’s more important in the short amount of time she has left: her husband’s happiness—or her own?My rating: 3/5Thoughts: this book had potential, but I just wanted to hit the main character throughout the whole book to wake up and realize she's dying! Stop focusing on these things that don't matter and spend time with your husband, family and friends. Tell me: what books have you read lately? Any recommendations?

Last Sunday, the #ABBlogsquad got the chance to check out Barre Body Studio, which is a barre studio. Walking into the studio, we were greeted by our instructor Lanette who gave us each a bag with a water bottle, and passes for two free classes in the future. The studio features two different barre rooms and an unisex locker room that features lockers, private restrooms and private showers. It was a gorgeous space!

Before we knew it, it was time to get started! Lanette had us grab all of the equipment that we would need for class, which included: two sets of weights, ball, band, and a disk.

I had never tried a barre class before and being 26 weeks pregnant, I knew that I would have to modify some of the moves. Lanette was great to ensure that I knew what modifications that I could make. I was so focused on not dying during the class, that I can't remember what we all did. There was an arm, cardio, and leg section that left each of those body parts burning! You wouldn't think that using 5lb weights would be hard, but my arms were definitely feeling it.

Monday, March 6, 2017

Happy Monday everyone! We had a great weekend - filled with lots of stuff and some down time. The perfect mix.{friday} we made home made pizzas after work and then I went to pick up some maternity clothes that I was buying off Kijiji. Pretty exciting night ;)

{saturday} Brian was going out to Canmore to pick up some bike parts he was buying and then going for a bike ride, so I took Harley and Amelia for a walk. It was WAY colder than we expected, so we had to cut it short. The rest of the morning was spent painting (Amelia loves to paint with a water colour set I got her) and doing a workout. When Amelia went down for a nap, I finished watching the Gilmore Girls series and had a super short nap.

In the evening, I met up with a bunch of the blog girls at Greek Town to celebrate Jen's birthday and her going away. It was a fun night of good food and chatting!

{sunday} we had a quiet morning before I headed out to pick up some more maternity clothes from Kijiji and to pick up Alison. We headed out to Barre Body Studio for a barre class with the blog squad. It was a leg shaking class, but I'll share more on it later this week!

After class, I dropped Alison off and then went to get groceries. I surprisingly didn't buy that much extra considering I was starving while shopping. Amelia was sleeping when I finally got home, so I had a quick lunch before laying on the couch and having a short nap.

The rest of the night was spent doing normal weekend things, making cookies and writing up this post :)